THE government has been urged to table the financial records between 2020 and 2022 in Parliament first to clear the air on the alleged mismanagement of funds by previous administrations.
This, said experts, would be the most logical step towards resolving the allegations that two previous administrations had misappropriated more than RM600 billion from government coffers during the period.
Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism executive director Cynthia Gabriel said the claims came from unofficial sources and tabling financial records in Parliament could help shed light on the issue as well as verify the claims.
The Public Accounts Committee, she added, could then be tasked with investigating the issue if any discrepancies were detected.
"Claims that previous governments had mismanaged funds are coming from unofficial sources. So, the first step will be to verify these claims by presenting the financial accounts in Parliament.
"There is no need to sling mud at each other until then," she told the New Straits Times.
On Monday, former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had shot down allegations that he and his predecessor, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, had unofficially spent RM620 billion between 2020 and 2022.
Ismail Sabri, in a tweet, had clarified that total sum allocated for eight stimulus packages during this period had amounted to RM530 billion.
Ismail Sabri said only RM110 billion out of the RM530 billion was spent directly by the government, and that, too, after getting unanimous approval from Parliament.
The remaining sum, he said, accounted for bank loan moratoriums that did not involve government expenditure.
Setiawangsa Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) division chief Mohd Ikhmal Abu Bakar said such claims were intended to malign the administrations of Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri.
Ikhmal, a former press secretary to then minister in Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions) Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad, said the government should call for a thorough probe to clear the air.
"It is not as easy as ABC to 'swindle' money from government coffers.
"Even if one wants to take out RM10 billion from it, there will be checks and balances and there is a tedious process to go through.
"However, if it is true there were leakages or misappropriation, the current government can start an investigation by summoning the Treasury and Finance Ministry for an explanation.
"It could also get the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to probe the matter.
"From there, we can see the sum spent during the period, which I feel could have been used to procure Covid-19 vaccines and distribute food and cash aid, as well as enable withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund.
"There is no need to create a negative perception against the two former premiers."
On Nov 15, Melaka Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Adly Zahari said PH would call for an investigation on Muhyiddin for possible misappropriation of more than RM500 billion during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In response, Muhyiddin the following day challenged Adly to furnish his claims with proof.
Muhyiddin had insisted that the allocation abided by financial regulations.